and i'm home
by IndigoandViolet
Summary: Lily has news, and James really likes the name Elvendork.


He is still chuckling to himself as he enters the house, shaking his head in amusement as he closes the door. "Lil," he calls, "you'll never believe what just happened! Padfoot and I were out on the bike, when we got caught by these muggle … pleasemen, is that it? Anyway, they were about to arrest us – oh, you need to remember the name Elvendork, it's a classic, and … Lil?"

He turns to find her standing in the shadows of the hallway, stance indicating that she is not exactly happy with him.

James watches her, eyes wide in shock and – though it would take a lot for him to admit this – fear, as she begins screaming, her whole body shaking in fury, eyes wild. She hurtles towards him, still shouting, and he can barely contain his pure adoration for the woman (he's always had a soft spot for her angry side) as she continues to berate him.

"Out for a laugh, were you? Well, I'll tell you what's not funny - leaving me here with no idea of where you were, and not a clue of what you were up to – anything could have happened, James, anything! Merlin, I've never been so scared in my entire life, I –

Her words are cut off as he pulls her against him, swallowing the rest of her sentence with a kiss, a kiss that soothes her temper so that it simmers (quietly, thank Merlin) inside of her, a kiss that says _I'm sorry, I'm sorry_, _I'm sorry_. It is easier for James to accept defeat in this situation, mainly because he knows that he is in the wrong, but also because he can't face fighting her at a time like this, when the only people he should be fighting are Death Eaters, and certainly not his wife.

Lily ends the kiss but stays in his arms, and her relief is visible – her back is less rigid, her breathing steady. He wraps his arms around her smaller stature more tightly, hugging her to him, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She rubs slightly at her reddened eyes, hoping to vanish the traces of her panic, and he wonders why she is so worked up, more anxious tonight than she has ever been before. It's not as if she isn't used to his antics and his knack for getting into trouble – whether it's the setting off of Filibuster Fireworks in the Great Hall or a battle against the most talented Death Eaters, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are usually found in the midst of it.

The amazing thing about those four boys – because the thing is, they're not men, they're still only _boys_, really – is that they also have an incredible way of escaping from almost everything (give or take a couple of detentions). And sure, this _luck_ that they have for getting out of trouble won't last forever, but so far, so good. So why, he wonders, pressing a kiss to the top of Lily's head, was she so scared?

"Lil," he asks, trepidation creeping into the tone of his voice, "did something happen tonight? Is everyone okay?"

He waits, albeit impatiently, as she extracts herself slightly from his hold, and shakes her head.

"No, well, not as far as I'm aware."

"Then why were you so worried? You know Sirius and I, we can worm our way out of anything! Hell, I bet we could escape Azkaban if we had to!"

(He doesn't mean to sound boastful here, but can't stop the cockiness leaking into his tone. So sue him, he hasn't _completely_ matured.)

She fixes him with a disapproving stare. "Neither of you are being put in Azkaban as long as I'm alive, do you hear me?"

He grins, "Yes, _Mum_." Laughter edges its way in as he mocks her.

Her amused expression wavers for only a second, but he catches it. His eyebrow lifts inquiringly and she sighs, pulling him into the living room and onto the sofa.

"Lil?" He's curious now.

She seems to be struggling with herself, as if pondering what to say next. Finally, she turns to face him.

"James, look, the thing is … IthinkImightbepregnant." The words come out rushed as they spill from her mouth, and her eyes are eager for his reaction as he takes them in.

He is in shock, but, for the first time in months, ecstatic. He cannot believe it, how much joy he feels, the love that overflows inside of him for his wife and – he can't get over the words – unborn child. He realises Lily is waiting for him to say something, and allows the beaming grin that has spread over his face to be expressed in words.

"That's wonderful, Lils! Are you sure?"

She smiles when his reaction is positive, and nods slightly.

"I think so – I've tried a few of the Muggle tests, and they were all positive. Marlene said I should get an appointment at to be absolutely sure, and I'd have to make one anyway to see if everything's okay."

He swallows the indignant comment he was about to make about how Marlene found out before him, and instead chooses to focus on Lily and the baby growing inside of her. He cannot stop himself from pressing a hand to her still flat stomach, and she grins when he feels for his son/daughter inside. James feels slightly dizzy, the feeling he gets when he drinks fire whiskey, and he is still in shock, because with all that had been going on, he'd never even considered the possibility of a baby. He meets her gaze again, and finds her smile weakened, her eyes averted. She is frowning slightly; what he knows as her 'thinking face' has appeared.

"Lil?" he asks, tentative.

She meets his eyes once more, but her smile has faded completely. Her hand covers his on top of her stomach, and she looks down in contemplation. Her mouth opens, shuts, and then opens again, as if hoping to catch the words she wants to say.

"Do … Do you really think its safe, James? To bring a child into a world full of war?"

It's as if someone has doused him in cold water. In his happiness, he hadn't even considered the war.

"I just can't see it working, James, I can't. I don't know if I can risk losing it, not after everyone else."

And that's another point – could he stand to see someone else that he loves die? His parents were expected, but he had lost so many friends recently.

Out of nowhere, he remembers – Alice Longbottom was pregnant; they'd told the Order the news the other week. Her and Frank were Aurors, top of Voldemort's hit list, and they, at least as far as he knew, had chosen to keep their baby. Why?

He voices this, and Lily's frown deepens, only for her forehead to flatten a moment later. The spark has returned to her eyes. James releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.

But she isn't speaking, just standing there smiling, and he hasn't quite figured out why.

"Want to share, Evans?"

She grins. "Potter."

"Yeah?"

An exaggerated eye roll. "I'm Lily Potter, James. Have been for at least – oh, six months now. Thought you would have noticed."

He nudges her, just slightly, still very alert of the fact that his child is inside of her.

"So?"

She shifts on the sofa. "I know that the risk is huge, but just think. We need this baby, to focus on, to give us a reason for carrying on with everything, with the fighting and the Order and the war. Something worth fighting for. And when all of this is over, our child can grow up free."

He nods, ecstatic. Exactly the response he'd hoped for, and, thinking about it, it was exactly what he would have said, what he thought. They needed a light in their dull world of war and fighting – something to lessen the pain of losing someone else.

Call him a pansy (Sirius would), but she'd said the words he'd been longing to hear for what must be years now. _Our baby. Ours. _Moving his hand to her stomach once more, he realised his overwhelming love for the unborn child, the promise of everything he'd ever wanted.

"James? Are you okay?"

"Yeah … Yeah, I'm – I'm great. Amazing, actually. You see," He smirks, "My beautiful wife just told me she's pregnant, and I couldn't be happier."

"Oh, really?" The corner of her mouth turns up in mischief. "What a coincidence, I've just found out that I'm expecting!"

He moves to hug her, holding her close, and they sit in silence for a few moments, blissful as he presses his lips to her head. She speaks again, voice coy and playful.

"But … I do have to say, I really hope this child isn't like its father."

"And why ever not? I hear he's a great guy."

She elbows him slightly then, grinning.

"His head's far too big. Bit of a toe rag, really."

"Then why did you marry him?"

He's fishing for compliments here, and she knows it.

"You know what? To this day, I still don't know."

He swallows her laughter as he fastens his lips to hers, covering her stomach with his hand, still in wonder at the thought of his child being in there. He breaks the kiss.

"My baby? My baby, in there?" He's smug now, grinning smarmily as she nods in amused exasperation. He bends until his head is next to her stomach, muttering so quietly that she has to strain to hear him, until he speaks up, eyebrows wiggling, smirk firmly in place as he talks.

"Don't worry kid, I know your mother can't play for toffee, but I'll play Quidditch with you all the time until you're so good that they'll break the rules and let you in the Gryffindor team in your first year! You'll be in Gryffindor, there's no doubt about it, and I'll lend you the cloak and the map and – hey, Lil!"

He looks up at her, the look on his face telling her he's got another 'great' idea.

"Yes?"

"Elvendork! That's what we can call it! Its unisex, so it doesn't matter what sex the baby is, Sirius loves it, and it's unique!"

Lily sighs, halfway between annoyed and adoration.

Her fifteen year old self would kill her for thinking this, but Lily Evans was never as happy as Lily Potter.

A/N: short, but it's something! The first fic I've written in ages, and un-surprisingly it's J/L. Quite a lot of shameless fluff …


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